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Diesel mechanics in Alaska: what they earn

Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists in Alaska earned a median $75,580 a year in May 2025, $36.34 an hour. 860 people held the job, 2.6 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 22% above the national figure of $61,770, and Alaska ranks 3 of 51 by pay for this trade.

Median annual
$75,580
$36.34 an hour
Rank by pay
#3
of 51 with a published median
Employed in AK
860
2.6 per 1,000 jobs
Location quotient
1.41
1.00 = national concentration

The full wage spread in Alaska

PointHourlyAnnualMeaning
10th percentile$25.00$52,000A tenth of the workforce earns less than this.
25th percentile$30.02$62,450A quarter earn less.
Median$36.34$75,580Half earn less, half earn more.
75th percentile$40.00$83,210A quarter earn more.
90th percentile$47.41$98,610A tenth earn more than this.
Mean$35.85$74,580The average. Pulled up by the top earners.

Annual figures are the hourly rate times 2,080 hours, BLS's full-time year. Overtime is inside the survey's earnings but not separated out.

Pay by metro area in Alaska

Anchorage, AK employs the most diesel mechanics of the 2 metro areas based in Alaska that BLS publishes, 410, at a median $74,480 a year.

MetroEmployedMedian annual10th pct90th pct
Anchorage, AK 410 $74,480 $47,840 $97,400
Fairbanks-College, AK 130 $72,970 $52,620 $93,320

Metropolitan statistical areas as BLS publishes them in the same May 2025 estimates. A metro that crosses a state line is listed only under its primary state, so part of a neighboring state's metro can sit outside this table. Areas outside any metro are not shown.

Alaska against its neighbors on the pay ladder

#StateMedian annualEmployed
1 Hawaii $80,080 690
2 Washington $77,900 7,410
3 Alaska $75,580 860
4 Maryland $74,790 3,030
5 California $73,950 20,940
6 Massachusetts $73,270 4,870

The complete ranking is on the Diesel mechanics page.

Against the national figure

FigureAlaskaUnited States
Median annual$75,580$61,770
Median hourly$36.34$29.70
10th percentile, annual$52,000$44,530
90th percentile, annual$98,610$88,740
Employed860289,960

Apprenticeships in Alaska

U.S. Department of Labor records list 64 registered apprentices active in Alaska in fiscal year 2024 (October 2023 to September 2024) under the occupation titles DOL maps to bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists (SOC 49-3031). The file's fiscal 2024 records largely stop after February 2024. In fiscal 2023, the latest year the file holds in full, 19 apprentices started; 19 have a starting wage DOL counts, fewer than the 50 a median needs here. Of those who completed that year, 10 have an exit wage DOL counts, fewer than the 50 a median needs.

Find a registered program: DOL's Apprenticeship Finder → · Every state's count and wages for this trade →

Which wages DOL counts, which titles count and how the state is assigned are on the data page.

Other trades in Alaska

Electricians ($89,440) · Plumbers and pipefitters ($93,920) · HVAC technicians ($77,430) · Welders ($80,840) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($70,100) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($92,470) · Ironworkers ($76,970) · Sheet metal workers ($94,600) · Carpenters ($73,860) · Auto service technicians ($60,840) · Heavy equipment operators ($77,810) · Machinists ($77,670)

See all 13 ranked by pay in Alaska.

No state licensing records are sourced here for diesel mechanics. The steps into the trade are on the Diesel mechanics page. Numbers on this page are the May 2025 BLS estimates, apart from the apprenticeship figures, which are DOL's; see how the numbers are built.